Calls on Valley Streamers to shop locally

To the Editor:

I have lived in Valley Stream for 30 years and it breaks my heart to know that Central Hardware is in dire straits. This store has been an institution in Valley Stream for more than 70 years, and like many other “mom and pop” businesses, has fallen victim to the big-box stores. Why do we prefer to drive to a mall? We waste gas and time looking for a parking spot, only to walk around aimlessly trying to find what we need and then wait on a long line to pay for our purchases. 
 
Central Hardware has always been my one-stop shop. You can find whatever you need, get prompt service if you can’t locate an item and pay in the same amount of time it would take for you just to drive to the mall. Granted, the big-box stores have some cheaper prices. But when I think about paying a dollar or two more at Central Hardware, those extra dollars are more than worth it to me since I save 30 to 60 minutes. I know there are times when only a big-box store can fulfill my needs, but are we going to let a Valley Stream institution close because we have been so indoctrinated into believing “bigger is better”? Do we really need to go to Home Depot or Lowes for every little item that in the past we would have gone to our local hardware store to purchase? If we all made Central Hardware one of our stops while doing errands, this fine store could stay in business for another 70 years. 

 
Valley Stream is our town. Large corporations don’t really care about small-town America, except for the profits they can make.  We need to support our local businesses. They cannot exist without us or they will continue to disappear. We all talk about how Rockaway Avenue needs to be revitalized, but do we shop there? Do we eat there? Are we still going to Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts or have we been to the new Sip This or the new Caffé Napoli? Howard Eye Care and Claudia Myers Boutique are two other new businesses on Rockaway Avenue. These new business owners have chosen Valley Stream, and we should choose them and help them succeed.

We, the residents of Valley Stream, have to take responsibility for our town.  We have a mayor who, in his short tenure, already has plans for a skateboard park, a dog park and has crews cleaning the grass and weeds growing in the cracks on the sidewalks along Merrick Road. Mayor Fare and the committee working on the downtown revitalization project cannot do it alone. We must do our part and make Valley Stream not only a nice place to live, but a great place to shop, eat out and enjoy. We have chosen to live here. Why not get involved in the community, support our town and local businesses?

Valley Stream, it is time to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.
 
Maria Sorrentino

Valley Stream